The Woman
by Amelia Brooke
Summary: "In the end he despised her." Is what John is saying true? Did Sherlock really just want to beat Irene Adler in the little game of hers? Was it really a game in the end? Perhaps, the story of The Woman and The Detective never stopped at Sherlock saving the damsel in distress.


_The _Woman

The word, "Run"continued to tease in Irene Adler's ear despite she and Sherlock making a successful escape back to London. It had been days since their escape and Irene had cooped herself up in her room without any clients. Even Kate, her maid, was beginning to worry. However she didn't want to disturb Irene and her thoughts.

One pouring day three knocks on the bedroom door was heard. "Go away. I'm not seeing any clients at the moment." sighed Adler as she brushed her long black hair in front of her vanity. The knocks continued. "I already told you I'm not coming out."

"Then I guess I'll just have to go in myself." replied a familiar voice from the other side of the door.

Irene's eyes widened as she continued gazing at her reflection. She noticed the latch of the door moving until a click was heard. Then the door slowly swung open to reveal a tall, dashing figure. He strode calmly into Irene's room with his hands behind his back. "How did you get in this time?" she smiled, slightly. "What trick did you use up your sleeve?"

"You should really tell your maid not to wear hairpins." replied the figure as he stopped near the window and allowed the silhouette of the elongated, fluttering curtains to hide the man's identity.

However despite the dimply lit room the dominatrix knew who exactly this man was. She let out a sigh as she put her brush down and stood up. Irene then walked towards the figure slowly and grinned once she caught a glimpse of his piercing, gray, intelligent eyes. "Mr. Holmes." she muttered under her breath.

"Miss Adler." replied Sherlock as he turned away from watching the rain fall on her roof and gazed back into her brown and fierce eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she began again.

"Can't I come in and check on you?" Sherlock's eyes then observed Irene's straightened bed. "I see you haven't had clients in a while."

"Is that a tone of worry I hear in your voice, Mr. Holmes?" smirked Irene in a playful manner as she tried to get off the subject.

"I thought you were a dominatrix."remarked Sherlock, going back to the subject. "The woman who brought England to her knees."

The woman's smirked died away slowly as she gulped a bit. "No... no not anymore." she then let out a raspy sigh. "That was my old life. I got tired of the game."

Sherlock continued to stare down at her and raise brow. "I see." he nodded. "I sense confusion in your tone." "You're good." she smiled as she took a seat on her nearby armchair and tilted her head on her lifted arm as she touched her temples with her fingertips. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Save me. Why did you save me back at Iraq?"

Sherlock remained silent as he continued standing and gazing at her with his intelligent and unemotional eyes.

"You could have let me die there. You could have let me, the woman who broke your heart, left to die in that sandy desert." she paused and looked at him. "Why didn't you?"

To be honest Sherlock had no idea why he did. What Adler said was true. He could have just left her to be executed, which would give him the feeling of another sweet victory. However something, something in his head... or perhaps it was his heart, for once, told him to go after her. After pondering a bit he walked slowly towards her with his hands in his coat's pocket and looked at her again. "England would have lost a brilliant mind." he grinned slightly. "That would have been a waste."

"I see." sighed Adler. She knew deep in her heart that wasn't the response she wanted to hear. Even though she was the woman who beat Sherlock Holmes, not to mention the woman who broke his heart Irene began to think about what Sherlock told her before. Perhaps, the game was getting too elaborate for her. Maybe it wasn't even a game at the end.

"You're unhappy." observed Sherlock.

"That's it? That's why you saved me? It's all for the sake of brilliance and knowledge?" exclaimed Adler with a disappointed tone.

"Is there a problem?"

"Mr. Holmes, you just saved the dominatrix who could literally control the whole of England. Not to mention saved another one of Moriarty's messengers and the woman who beat you." she paused as she looked up at Sherlock with her sad, brown eyes. "Was it really all for brilliance in the end?"

Sherlock didn't want to answer that question. He had been thinking about that for some time now. He knew the answer, just like many other things, he just didn't want to say it.

There was a moment of silence. Nothing but the constant drops on the rooftop were heard pounding, and pounding. Irene could even mistake it for her heart. Because right now it either felt like it was beating or breaking. "Was it real?" she asked finally.

"Was what real?"

"The game. In the end you figured out it wasn't real for me. What about you? Was it real for you, or were you really playing to win in the end?" Irene watched Sherlock look at her with a surprised look. "That's what I really wanted to ask you. So, please... I need an answer." she paused and gulped. "Did you really love me?"

Sherlock smiled a bit. "Miss Adler..." he muttered under his breath. The detective began to bend down slowly until he grabbed the woman's wrist gently. Irene looked up at him with a confused look but allowed him to continue. Sherlock continued to have a small, intelligent, grin on his face until he placed her fingertips on his wrist. Irene gasped slightly and the two stared at each other for some time. The woman continued to lay her gentle fingertips on the bottom part of Sherlock's wrist and the detective continued to bend down on one knee and look up at _the _woman. After a long stretch of silence Sherlock bent in closer and whispered," You tell me." in her ear. Irene smiled as she let go of his wrist and closed her eyes with a light grin on her face. One tear then trickled down her thin cheek but it wasn't because of sadness. It was far from it. When the woman opened her eyes however Sherlock was gone, like the phantom of the night he was.

"Oh Mr. Holmes..." Irene sighed. Suddenly another noise was heard, other than the few drops of rain falling on the windowpane. It was a vibrating noise. It was Irene's phone. She got up from her seat and picked up her camera phone that was resting on her vanity. She pressed a button and out came a text.

'How about some dinner?

-SH'

Irene pressed her phone close to her heart as she walked to the window and stared out. She then noticed the tall, mysterious, coated figure walking away in the rain and she smiled. "Bravo Mr. Holmes." she whispered. "Bravo."


End file.
